With their best player – point guard Chris Paul – headed for free agency, the Clippers' most important offseason began earlier than expected after the team's first-round exit.

And Tuesday, the organization made its first major decision.

The Clippers announced they would not offer Coach Vinny Del Negro a new contract and would begin the search for his replacement "immediately."

"We would like to thank Vinny for everything he did during his three years with the organization," Vice President of Basketball Operations Gary Sacks said in a statement. "Vinny helped this team win a Pacific Division title and we greatly appreciate all that he and his staff helped us accomplish. This was a difficult decision, but we feel this is the best decision for our franchise moving forward."

The list of possible replacements is said to include former head coaches Byron Scott, Nate McMillan and Alvin Gentry. Top assistants Mike Malone (Golden State), Mike Budenholzer (San Antonio) and Brian Shaw (Indiana) are also possibilities.

Reportedly, the decision to part ways with Del Negro was described as an "organizational" one, with players and the front office on the same page with the decision.

In three years with the Clippers, Del Negro's record was 128-102 in the regular season, with the team improving each year.

The Clippers almost parted ways with Del Negro in 2011-12, but owner Donald Sterling stepped in and prevented the change. Sterling and Del Negro had a good relationship, but it wasn't enough to keep Del Negro on the Clippers' sidelines for the fourth season.

This past season, the Clippers won their first divisional title in franchise history. The team won a franchise-record 56 games despite injury problems. Del Negro and the Clippers also set a team record with 17 straight wins.

Del Negro was named Western Conference Coach of the Month in December after the team finished the month undefeated.

After the Clippers' winning streak, the team struggled to find consistency and had to win their final seven games of the season in order to have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

But after winning the first two games of the series, the Clippers dropped four straight to Memphis to end the year on a sour note.

In the aftermath of the Game 6 loss, Paul was asked about the team's accomplishments during the regular season.

"None of that means anything," he said after the game. "Our season is over. There's nothing great to take from it."

Paul, an unrestricted free agent, and his teammates were asked about Del Negro during exit interviews after the season. Sacks said players' opinions would be considered in deciding Del Negro's fate.

The team said it would begin the search for Del Negro's replacement immediately, though no formal requests to interview coaches currently under contract have been made.

Malone and Scott could be the early front-runners for the job based on their relationships with Paul.

Malone, regarded as one of the top assistants in the NBA, coached Paul in New Orleans. This year, he was Mark Jackson's top assistant in Golden State, where he had a lot of influence on the Warriors' surprise run to the second round of the playoffs.

Scott coached in the NBA Finals with New Jersey and coached Paul in New Orleans. Scott was originally drafted by the Clippers as a player, but after a holdout, he was traded to the Lakers, where he was a key piece on their title-winning teams of the 1980s.

McMillan also has ties to Paul, working with him and Blake Griffin, as an assistant coach for Team USA. Shaw, a Phil Jackson disciple, has tasted success in Indiana, and Budenholzer has worked with the Spurs for the past 16 years as an assistant coach. Gentry coached the Clippers previously and has respect from people within the organization.

Stan Van Gundy could also be an option, though he has indicated that he doesn't want to coach next season, and Memphis coach Lionel Hollins doesn't have a contract with the Grizzlies beyond this season.

The Clippers would like to have a coach in place by the NBA draft on June 27, though there's no firm deadline.

Six other NBA teams currently have coaching vacancies: Brooklyn, Charlotte, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Phoenix.

In addition to hiring a new coach and re-signing Paul, the team is expected to try to re-sign Matt Barnes. Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom are free agents, and Eric Bledsoe could be traded. The Clippers also have a first-round pick for the first time since the 2010 draft.

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